The chemicals saturate her brain, repositioning the synapses into an arrangement that accepts him as more… more than that hilarious friend, more than that shoulder she cries on. His potential is revealed. She realizes that he’s much sweeter and more handsome than she had been caring to reveal. Feelings she had subconsciously repressed, to preserve the love for a friend, wash over her in a flood of emotion. She wonders how long she’d already been in love with him.

But just as quickly as the wall is destroyed, another is rebuilt in its place. The light in her eyes are dimmed to their original setting. The feelings in her heart go back into hiding. Did she reveal too much? He’s acting normally, as he always does. She concludes that he understands.

And unfortunately, he does.